How is the UK's economy changing?
The shift from a manufacturing to a post-industrial, service and knowledge economy; the growth of economic hubs and science parks; the causes of regional economic inequality; and the role of globalisation and technology.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) UK in the 21st Century on economic change, covering the shift to a post-industrial economy, economic hubs and science parks, regional inequality, and the role of globalisation and technology.
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What this dot point is asking
This is OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) Component 2, People and Society, within UK in the 21st Century: "How is the UK's economy changing?" OCR expects you to explain the shift from a manufacturing to a post-industrial, service and knowledge economy, the growth of economic hubs and science parks, the causes of regional economic inequality, and the role of globalisation and technology.
From manufacturing to a post-industrial economy
For most of the 20th century the UK was a manufacturing economy (coal, steel, shipbuilding, textiles). Today it is a post-industrial economy: most people work in services (the tertiary sector: finance, retail, health, education) and the knowledge economy (the quaternary sector: research, IT, biotechnology, creative industries).
The decline of manufacturing, deindustrialisation, had several causes:
- Globalisation: UK firms faced competition from countries with cheaper labour (China, India), so production moved abroad.
- Automation: mechanisation meant factories needed far fewer workers.
- Old industries closed: coal, steel and shipbuilding became uncompetitive or ran out of raw materials.
Economic hubs and science parks
New growth is highly concentrated in particular places, which OCR wants you to understand.
Regional inequality and its causes
The shift to services and high-tech has not spread evenly, so the UK has marked regional economic inequality.
The government has tried to reduce inequality through regional investment, transport projects and initiatives to spread the knowledge economy, but the concentration of new growth remains the main driver of the divide.
Try this
Q1. Name the four employment sectors and give an example of each. [4 marks]
- Cue. Primary (farming), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services such as retail), quaternary (research and IT).
Q2. Suggest why regional economic inequality has increased in the UK. [4 marks]
- Cue. New service and high-tech growth concentrates in the south-east and cities, while former industrial regions declined with deindustrialisation.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20194 marksExplain why employment in manufacturing has declined in the UK. (Component 2)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark "Explain" question assessing AO1 and AO2 of economic change. Markers reward developed reasons.
Award credit for: globalisation means UK firms face competition from countries where labour is cheaper (such as China and India), so manufacturing has moved abroad (deindustrialisation). Mechanisation and automation mean factories need fewer workers. Many older industries (coal, steel, shipbuilding) became uncompetitive or ran out of raw materials and closed. At the same time the economy has shifted towards services and high-tech industries, which now provide most jobs. Top answers link globalisation and automation to the decline, not just say "factories closed".
OCR 20216 marksAssess the reasons for regional economic inequality in the UK. (Component 2)Show worked answer →
A 6-mark "Assess" question marked by levels of response, assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3, with a judgement.
Strong answers explain that some regions (especially the south-east and major cities such as London) have grown through services, finance and high-tech industries, good transport, skilled labour and investment, while former industrial regions (parts of the north, Wales and the Midlands) declined as manufacturing closed, leaving higher unemployment and lower incomes. They link this to globalisation (jobs moving abroad), deindustrialisation, and the concentration of new growth in economic hubs and science parks near universities. A good judgement weighs which factors matter most (often the shift to services concentrated in the south-east) and notes government attempts to rebalance, concluding that inequality is driven mainly by the uneven location of the new economy. Markers reward the explained pattern and a judgement.
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Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Geography B (J384) specification — OCR (2016)